yellon touched briefly on political tensions in the ukraine, stating that it does not pose substaintial risk to the u.s. economy. mortgage giant freddie mac is racking up its 9th profitbale quarter in a row. the agency's profits doubled this time around to $4.5 billion dollars as home prices rose and freddie had to set aside less money to cover losses on mortgages. during the finanicial crisis-- the government spent $187 billion bailing out freddie mac and fannie mae. it's estimated by march the two will have paid back at least $192 billion to taxpayers. now on to "retail" earnings...gap addressed a challenging christmas, as it says revenue and profits both took a hit in the fourth quarter. best buy returned to a profit. still, the electronics chain reportedly plans to cut 2,000 jobs following a disappointing holiday season. shares traded in a wide range thursday ending the session-- down.. at sears...the christmas season was deemed "tough to terrible"that resulted in a 14% sales plunge. and jc-penney stock shot up a whopping 25% yesterday, as turnaround efforts.... appear to be working